Aberdeenshire
Bennachie Weather
Mountain forecast and current conditions · summit 529m
Current conditions
Daylight Today
- Sunrise
- 06:19
- Sunset
- 19:59
- Civil dawn
- 05:39
- Civil dusk
- 20:39
NOAA Solar Calculator · 5 September 2026
About the weather here
Bennachie (529m at Oxen Craig) is the hill of Aberdeenshire, a long granite ridge rising alone from farmland west of Inverurie, with the rocky tor of Mither Tap as its famous profile. Paths from the forestry car parks at the Bennachie Centre, Rowantree and Back o' Bennachie make it one of the most-walked hills in the north-east. It is low, but it is a bare ridge in open country with a long, exposed summit line.
What to expect
Bennachie sits in the dry north-east, in the rain shadow of the Cairngorms, and is one of the better hills in Scotland for a fine-weather bet. Its weakness is wind: the ridge between Mither Tap and Oxen Craig is open to everything, and easterlies off the North Sea are cold. Low cloud sits on the tors on humid days, and the granite of Mither Tap is slippery when wet.
Wind exposure
Moderate, but the summit ridge and the tors are fully open. The forest tracks are sheltered; once above the trees there is nothing to break the wind and the tops of the tors are exposed on all sides. Easterly winds are the cold ones here.
Winter conditions
Bennachie does not hold snow for long, but the tors ice hard and the granite slabs of Mither Tap become dangerous under verglas. The ridge path drifts in an easterly. It is a good winter half-day and a very cold one in the wrong wind. No avalanche forecast covers Bennachie and there is no avalanche terrain; ice on the tors is the hazard.
Outside the SAIS network. No Scottish Avalanche Information Service forecast covers Bennachie; SAIS forecasts six areas only. In winter, judge snow stability on the hill from first principles.
Official forecasts
Always check an official mountain forecast before setting out. Current conditions displayed above are from the Open-Meteo API and are indicative only.
Frequently asked questions
- Is Bennachie a good hill in poor weather?
- It is often the best option in the north-east: drier than the Cairngorms, low enough to stay below the cloud on many days, and with sheltered forest tracks for the first half. The ridge and tors are exposed, so check the wind.
- Does Bennachie get snow?
- Occasionally, and it drifts along the ridge in an easterly. Ice on the tors after a frost is the more reliable winter hazard — the granite of Mither Tap is treacherous when iced.
- How windy is the Bennachie ridge?
- Open on all sides. The forest is calm; the ridge between Mither Tap and Oxen Craig is not. Cold easterlies off the North Sea reach it unobstructed.
- Which forecast covers Bennachie?
- A local Inverurie forecast is a reasonable guide for a hill this height, but the mountain forecasts linked on this page give wind speed above the treeline, which is what decides the day here.
Weather for other locations
Get the OutdoorSCOT weekly
One email a week — new route, hill and bothy guides, seasonal conditions and the odd hard-won lesson. No spam, unsubscribe in one click.